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How hard should you run ?
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When you use the phrase "pursuit of excellence" do you mean excellance as some Nirvana state of performance, or just doing the best with what you've got. This diffence and how it relates to your perception of yourself is at the heart of Themoabird's arguement (I think). If its the former, then you're likely to be doomed to disappointment even before you start.
Next, I really can't let you get away with the following: "To my mind, the "a little of what you fancy" approach is certainly the healthiest approach to life. Running a bit, doing other sports, a bit of this and a bit of that. But it also leads to a life of anonymous mediocrity". It could also be viewed as the components of a well rounded, active, interesting and fulfilled life - hardly anonymous mediocrity. An interesting and well rounded person is rarely regarded as mediocre - especially to the poeple around him.
However what does make me feel uneasy is "The "pursuit of excellence" is another approach and one I aspire to and encourage my children to embarce too". I do hope that your encouragement of your childrens pursuit of excellence leaves them time to develop a healthly well rounded and questioning interest in the miriad of fastinating things that the world has to offer. It good when your children take on your values, but it is best done by absorbtion rather than having them forced upon them. At certain ages children will do things out a desire to please their parents, rather than because they actually want to do them themselves. I've got this image of your household peopled by chess players, gymnasts, swimmers, athletes, violin players etc, all faithfully doing their 1-2 hours practise every day because they have to. Tell me I'm wrong and that its full of cardboard cut outs, paints and crayons, books, CDs, and questions and arguements and opinions.
Oh and by the way Rod Dixon was a sub 4min miler who ran a world class marathon, as did Eamon Martin (I think?)
Friend (M, 22) ran 2:44 last yr's FLM off a LONGEST week of 54m. grrr.
The only time I don't enjoy running is when I'm injured (eg last week went out for an 8-miler; at 4m had to stop & walk back because every step was mucking up achilles further & i want to get back to training properly ASAP. Not enjoyable). 'Fun' might not be the operative word all the time. But I would say I even enjoy the throwing-up-on-finish-line etc. bits, because it is feedback telling me I have pushed myself as far as I can. & that makes me happy.
For example, for many years I played in a band. Sometimes I would go down to the track to do and interval session then go straight off and play a gig in some stuffy, smoked-filled pub. I used to do a track race on a Saturday afternoon then stay out till the early hours and be up at 8am to run 15miles with a hangover.
Running certainly hasn't stopped me from having an interesting and enjoyable life. I once got it into a fight in a race. I pulled someone from a burning car when out on a late night run. I've found £10 twice while out running. I remember once doing a runner from an Indian restaurant with a group of mates that included 10.4 100m guy and a sub-4min miler - I'm not boasting about it but at the time we were all p!ssed and it seemed hilarious. I've made many friends through running and have some wonderful memories. And of course running keeps me fit and healthy, even if I don't run as fast, as long or as often as I used to.
I've got a degree, a good job that I enjoy and I family that I love. I've done loads of things PLUS I've done a lot of running. And to be perfectly frank it's not really that difficult to fit in enough running to reach a decent standard. Most people have at least a preiod in their life when they would be able to devote a fair amount of time to running and I think that if anyone wants to run as fast as they can at a given distance then that is a worthwhile goal to have.
By its very nature, orienteering doesn't lend itself to PBs. Course length, course difficulty and terrain are never identical, so competitors have to treat each race individually. Does this "competing against yourself" kind of mentality sound appealing to you guys? Or would you rather have a more tangible target to aim for?
By the way, this is not to say that it's not a competitive sport - I still love beating other people ;-)
Tom - I'd like orienteering, but have 'issues' with maps, telling right from left...
and i'm sure you've enjoyed trying! (though personally I'd avoid the rowing when training for a marathon).
Tom, I find your criticism of Panto a bit unfair. I would agree that it is taking a huge risk with your children's psychological well-being to bring them up thinking that it is only if they do brilliantly at something that they are worth anything, but I don't believe that is a necessary corollary of teaching them that it is worth making sacrifices in order to do something exceptionally well, if you feel that it is worth doing exceptionally well.
Or that it is worth aspiring to achieve something out of the ordinary, and that while there are a million interesting things you could do, if you don't concentrate on one or some, you may not get much satisfaction out of any, let alone be able to excel.
More broadly, I don't think you do children a favour in the final analysis by never demanding anything of them; if you don't, they tend not to learn to demand anything of themselves, which is not helpful in adult life.
Also: if you throw away the TV and computer games, you can have a house peopled with musicians, athletes etc but also paints, crayons, CDs, arguments, different viewpoints and values; it doesn't have to be one or the other.
& I know I'm one of the 20%.
But I'm still a shedload faster than the 99.999% of non-runners
The only downer on the fixed course ones like say the round rotherham 50 miler is that on your first attempt those with course knowledge who have done it before have a very big advantage over you, that and nothing traumatises like taking a 2 mile detour on an already long enough race. :-)
What about discussions/arguments whilst on runs with fellow runners? Intrinsic or extrinsic?
Where's the evidence?
This kind of logic is all wrong:
x number of people run 80mpw of those x% can run a marathon under 3hours, therefore, x% of the population can run a marathon on 3hours.
The sample selects itself; I'm sure I don't need to explain why (coz I'm not going to!).
I'm calming down now...
"What about discussions/arguments whilst on runs with fellow runners?"
I prefer the didactic appraoch, myself.
Pantman if you reading this, and were offended by my previous posting, I hope you can see where I'm coming from with this.
Incidently, I do stand by my assertion that you do come across as rather intense at times, but then so do I. I'm a nice guy too but a lot of people think I'm a right pain in the @rse.
Yes, it *provides* intrinsic rewards, but it isn't an intrinsic reward.
Actually, it provides both intrinsic and running related extrinsic rewards.
Whereas I am a pain in the @arse and people think I'm a pain in the @arse...
If you ever do the LDWA 50K and 100K challenge events, they stress the non-competitve nature of the event. Though in practice most of the runners (and some of the walkers) set their goals on finishing in front of as many runners/walkers as possible.
..ah I see, you're keen to learn
Whereas I am a pain in the @arse and people think I'm a pain in the @arse...
Themoabird, are you implying that I'm deluding myself :-))
If you were to examine the training of any groups of marathon runners you will find that those with faster times have almost invariably run more miles than those who are slower. Not simply in miles per week, but the total number of miles run before running a marathon. The exceptions to this rule are few and far between.
Is this why themoabird is extinct?
"I reckon that about 80% of the male population under 30 could run a sub-3hr marathon on less than 80mpw."
That is different. You cannot extrapolate from the sample of people running 80 miles to a conclusion about the whole population running 80 miles a week. It really is massively flawed logic for numerous reasons.
But I don't disagree with the correlations you suggest.
"Is this why themoabird is extinct?"
Actually, the opposite reason; themoabird was loving and trusting, and got eaten for dinner.